The same is true of the way businesses communicate. Just when you think you have worked it all out, something changes.
Put bluntly, sit still in business and think that you’ve got everything covered and it will bite you faster than you can say boo to a goose! In the world of digital communications, that couldn’t be truer. What worked yesterday has no guarantee of working today, or tomorrow, so we must constantly adapt. Prodocom has changed so much since its inception nearly 30 years ago.
Email, SMS, MMS or fax: which is best?
SMS might not have been on your radar for client communications, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be today. And email? There’s a constant stream of spam hitting our inboxes, and more and more security measures being added to stop it. So is email still a good strategy? As with everything in life, if you do it properly and do it right the first time, you’re much more likely to succeed.
So which is best for you, and why? Before choosing a channel, I would ask three fairly ordinary questions. Is the message urgent? Does the person need to keep or act on detailed information? And where would they reasonably expect to receive it? A delivery update and a detailed statement might be going to the same customer, but I wouldn’t necessarily send them in the same way. That is the whole point of having more than one option.
Email is great for detailed information and ongoing campaigns, but authentication, spam filtering and list quality all matter. SMS is perfect for short alerts, reminders and anything time-sensitive. MMS lets you add images or video, as long as the recipient’s device and carrier support it. And fax still has its place, particularly in established document workflows. Strange but true. If it’s SMS versus email you’re weighing up, I’ve gone deeper on when to use SMS instead of email.
The best choice depends on what you need the recipient to do. A few examples make the difference clearer. A clinic reminding someone of tomorrow’s appointment might choose SMS because it is short and timely. A business sending an invoice or a document with several pages may prefer email or an established secure document workflow. A retailer showing off a new product might want images, which brings MMS or RCS into the conversation where supported. And some organisations still have systems built around fax. The channel should follow the job, not the latest shiny feature.
Then think about what happens if the first message does not get through. Is there a delivery status you can check? Can the customer reply? Would a second channel be appropriate, or would it simply annoy them? Good communications are not just about getting something out of your system. They are about making sure the person at the other end has a sensible way to receive it and respond.
Why it pays to adapt
This is where we come in. We’ve been doing this for nearly 30 years (more like 40 for me personally), with our eyes constantly on the news, developments, facts and figures. We’re based in and focused on Australia, with our own infrastructure, designed and built by ourselves and housed here in Sydney, so we’re uniquely placed to help you.
Even better, you can pick up the phone and get help without worrying whether you have the right “support package” or fighting your way through AI and numerous menus. The icing on the cake is that we actually want to help you!
So whether you want advice on your next campaign, ideas for new things to try, or a feel for the state of the nation in digital communications, please feel free to call us. Well, it actually is free, and we’re strange beasts who genuinely enjoy talking to our clients. You can also take a look at everything we offer.